Know Your Monument
History of the Native American Tribes of Southern Oregon
The Cascade- Siskiyou National Monument was established in 2000 and then expanded in 2016, to span over 114,000 acres of land. The monument is located on the traditional homelands of the Takelmans, Athapaskans, Shastans, and Klamath peoples. Before their removal to the reservations of the Grande Ronde and Siletz in the 1850s, the tribes of this region lived here for time immemorial, with dates of occupation older than 10,000 years.
“Establishing this monument preserved the landscape for the future of all Americans. For Native peoples to return and find community in the original landscapes of our peoples is priceless. In this environment we can practice restoring cultural practices. Many people in the Grand Ronde tribe have an affinity to the Rogue region and this monument preserves the wilderness for them and their descendants. In addition, tribal peoples in the region are using the landscape for their own cultural practices. This place is an important vault of information about tribal lifeways.”
David Lewis, PhD, The Land is Our Heart: Protect the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, 2017
Dr. David Lewis is a member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, a descendant of the Santiam, Chinook and Takelma Peoples of Western Oregon. Dr. Lewis is a recognized researcher, scholar, educator, and writer of original histories of the peoples of Oregon and California, with an extensive record of collaborative projects with regional scholars, tribes, local governments, and communities for over 20 years. He is an adjunct professor at Oregon State University in Anthropology and Ethnic Studies (Native Studies).
Dr. David Lewis
He has generously shared additional readings that are on his website: ndnhistoryresearch.com
See Dr. Lewis’ presentation Native American History in Southern Oregon (2021).
His recent articles about the CSNM are listed below:
The Land is Our Heart: Protect the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument (2017)
Repealing National Monuments? Why Tribal People Should Care! (2017)
This map and nformation in this article comes from The Land is Our Heart: Protect the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument (2017), David Lewis, PhD
Additional publications by Dr. David Lewis:
Restoring Indigenous Knowledge, Western Humanities Review, Fall. (2020)
White American Violence on Tribal Peoples of the Oregon Coast. Oregon Historical Quarterly. Vol. 120(4). Winter. (2019)
Four Deaths: The Near Destruction of Western Oregon Tribes and Native Lifeways, Removal to the Reservation and Erasure from History. Oregon Historical Quarterly. Fall, Vol. 115(3):414-437. Lewis, David G. and Thomas J. Connolly. (2014)
Natural Foresters: Native Timber Traditions and Logging from the Grand Ronde Tribe. Willamette Valley Voices: Connecting Generations. Vol. 3(1). Winter. (2014)
Native American Archives Special Issue: Dedication. Journal of Western Archives, Vol. 6:1. Lewis, David G. and Jennifer O’Neill. (2014)
Developing and Organizing a Professional Development Gathering for Oregon’s Tribal Communities: The Oregon Tribal Archives Institute. Journal of Western Archives, Vol. 6(1). Lewis, David G. and Natalie Fernandez. (2014)